Ball-winding machine.



Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

In ventor: file/qr Z. Cabb,

Attest:

bis Atty I H. Z. COBB.

BALL WINDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1917.

Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Inventor: by flglzlyZ. lafifi, I 7 bis Atty UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY Z. COBB, 'OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO REVERE RUBBER I COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

ZBALL-WINDING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 18, 1918".

Application filed March 7, 1917. Serial No. 152,964.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Z. COBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winchester, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Winding Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus for winding spherical bodies with strands of flexible or elastic material, such as balls for 1pleiilying various games, and particularly golf In the winding of golf balls it becomes necessary that the rubber thread ortape, which is Wound under high tension, be distributed evenly over the entire surface of the ball as it is being wound, so as to make the ball symmetrical and as accurately spherical as possible. In order to so distribute the rubber thread over the surface of the ball, the ball must be turned on different axes at angles to the winding axis so that the convolutions of the thread or strands will be successively wound onto the ball in different great circles and the poles as well as equatorial zones of the ball covered with layers of even thickness. In the machine which I have produced the ball is turned on three different axes, independently of the axis about which the winding of the thread isproduced.

For a detailed description of one form of my invention, which I at present deem preferable, reference may be had to the following I specification and to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, in whlch:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line AA, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the winding heads, parts thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a view of the winding rollers, enlarged to indicate the motions about the different axes of a ball.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 1 indicates a suitable table or bench upon which the machine'may be mounted. The numeral 2 indicates the base of the machine having an upper surfaceor'platforni 3 upon which are mounted the'standard's 4 for, the main bearings armin the shafts which operate the winding hea s. The main driving shaft 6 passes through journals 7 in the ends of the base portion 2 and is provided on one end with a clutch 8 adapted to connect with, or release from, the shaft a driving pulley 9. The pulley 9 may be driven by a belt 10, or any other suitable means. The clutch 8 is operated by a lever handle 11 which may be retained in operative position todrive the machine by a pawl 12, which may be released by a magnet or electrical means contained within the box 13.

Adjacent the opposite ends of the shaft 6 are two sets of driving gears 14 and 15 which are fixed on said shaft 6, and a hand wheel 16 is provided for turning the shaft 6 and the other parts of the machine manually when necessary. The gears 14 and 15 mesh with corresponding pinions or small spurgears 17 and 18. It should be noted that the gear 14 isslightly larger than the gear 15, and that the gear 17 is slightly smaller than the gear 18that is, the'gear 14 contains a greater number of teeth than the gear 15, preferable one more tooth,;as I have found this, in actual practice, to be the most desirable. The gears 17 and 18 should have the number of teeth correspond to their complemental gears 14 and 15, respectively. The differences in the number of teeth of these gears produce a differential motion between the gears 17 and 18 and the gear 17 turns slightly faster than the gear 18. It is obvious that since both the winding heads must always have the same relative position regarding each other, the gearing just referred to is duplicated on each end of the machine, as indicated in the-housing 19 at the right side of Fig. 1. The gears 18 on each end of the machine are mounted on a tubular main shaft 20, while' the gear 17 is mounted on the solid secondary shaft 21 passing through the shaft 20.- The inner end of the tubular shaft 20 carries a yoke 22, through which passes a transverse shaft 23, to which is fixed, between the arms of the yoke, a beveled gear 24, and on the outer ends of the shaft 23 are fixed mutilated gears 25 and 26.- The beveled gear 24 meshes with a complelnental beveled gear-27 carried on the inner end of the solid shaft 21-between the arms of the yoke22- The ends of the arms of the yoke 22 are provided with bearings 28, through which pass short shafts, (not shown) on the inner ends .of....which are mounted the gripping rollers 29. To the outer ends of thesev small shafts. are fixed mutilated pinions 30, the same being mutilated only to the extent of having one tooth cut away, or partially cut away. The mutilated gears 25 are provided with plain segments, clearly indicated in Fig. 1, which consists of about a quarter of the pitch circle of the gears. The gripping rollers 29 are preferably roughened or knurled for the major portion of their surfaces, there being, however, plain or smooth portions which are slightly depressed below the general level of the knurled portions so that the same do not contact with the ball being wound with so positive a pressure as do the knurled portions.

The yokes 22 preferably support a device for holding the ball being wound between the gripping rollers as indicated by the numeral 31. This preferably consists of an anti-friction device, such as a steel ball or other anti-friction member, mounted in a suitable socket or on suitable bearings. Such holding device is located slightly to one side of the center of a ball being wound, as indicated in Fig. 3, so as to allow the thread being wound on the ball to freely pass by.

Assuming now that a ball is being wound between the rollers 29, the rotation thereof will be away from the observer, that is, the top of the ball will be receding from the operator or observer when standing in front of the machine and looking in the direction of Fig. 1. The rotation of the tubular shaft 20 turns the two winding heads synchronously and at equal speed. This motion produces the winding action. However, since the gears 17 and the solid shafts 21 rot-ate at a slightly greater speed, the beveled gear 27 will have a motion relative to the yoke 22, in'the same direction that said yoke is turned (see Fig. This motionwill cause the beveled gears 24 and the mutilated gears 25 and 26 to turn in a clockwise direction. Viewed as in Fig. 1, and assuming that all of the pinions 30 are in contact with the unmutilated portions of the complemental driving gears, said pinions 30 and the rollers 29 will be driven in anti-clockwise direction so that the ball held between the gripping rollers 29 will be turned in a clockwise direction. Thus the ball, in addition to this general rotary motion, will be given a motion on the axis at right angles to the axis W on which it rotates to produce the Winding action. This axis is indicated by dot and dash lines X in Fig. 4. It is obvious that this motion will continue slowly until the mutilated portions of the gears 25 and 30 become operative. This is arranged to occur simultaneously on diagonally located rollers on opposite winding heads. For instance, in Fig. l the condition illustrated is that which exists when the mutilated gears which drive tho rollers 12 and 0 do not rotate said rollers on their axes while .the rollers a and cl are still rotating, the

toothed portions of their corresponding mutilated gears being in mesh. As a result of these conditions, the smooth portion of the rollers b and c'contact with the ball at diametrically opposite points while the rough portions of the rollers a and cl contact to drive the ball about the inclined axis. This axis is represented by the line Y-Y. Now, since the smooth portions of the rollers b and 0 contact with the ball very lightly, there will be no retarding action at those points and poles will be established approximately where the line YY passes through the ball as an axis. This will obviously cause a winding of the thread on a zone different from that established when all of the rollers are rotating simultaneously, and continues for a period determined by the length of the plain portions of the gears 25. When such plain portions have been passed over, the gears Z) and 0 again commence to rotate and all of the rollers rotate as first described, until the plain portions of the gears 25 which drive the rollers a and d come into action. The rollers a and d are then in a position so that their smooth portions contact with the ball, their rotation having ceased. The ball is thus turned on another axis indicated by the line ZZ, because poles are then formed at the points where said line cuts the ball which is then being turned by the rollers b and 0. This motion continues for a similar period of time as first described in connection with the other rollers, then all the rollers again commence to rotate simultaneously. The simultaneous rotation gives the same winding elfect in each instance, but in difierent zones because the ball has been turned on different axes betweentimes. It will be seen that during the winding operation the ball is turned about four principal This is clearly illustrated in Fig. -l:.

Here the ball is held between the four members a, b, 0 and d. These members with the ball, revolve as a unit about the axis VV-W and constitute the winding plane of the ball. During part of the winding operation, the members are all in operative engagement with the ball and each pair is revolved simultaneously about its own axis which is parallel to the axis X-X. The ball thus has a second axis of revolution. namely, the axis X--X. During part of the Winding operation, the members 0. I) are out of, and the members a, d in, driving engagement with the ball. During this period the ball is rotated about a third axis Y-Y.

And during another period of the winding about the axis WW successively revolves about the other three axes XX, YY and ZZ.

Having thus described the action of the rollers which control the winding, other features of the machine will now be described.

It is obvious that the core on which the winding is started is of comparatively small diameter and that the ball increases in size continuously up to the desired diameter. This change in size must be provided for by allowing the winding heads to separate slightly during the winding action. It is accomplished by making the shafts 20 and 21 slidable longitudinally in the journal bearings 5, the gears 14 and 15 being made wide enough to be in mesh with the gears 17 I and 18 at all times.

The simultaneous motion of the winding heads to and from each other is accomplished by bell-crank levers 32 fulcrumed at 33 on the top 3 of the base 2, each provided at their upper ends with a yoke 34 which engages a collar or ring 35set in a groove 36 on the base of the yoke 22 at the end of the tubular shaft 20. The lower ends of the bell-crank levers 32 are provided with intermeshing segments 37 which cause both the bell-crank levers to move in unison. Adjacent these segments are pivoted links 38 which are connected to a cross-bar 39 from which is suspended a suitable weight 40 which causes the winding heads to be forced toward each other. Between the collars 35 and the journal boxes 5, helical coiled springs 41 are inserted, also tending to force the winding heads toward each other, in addition to the Weight 40. These are preferably made comparatively short so that they do not come into action until the ball has increased considerably in size over that at the beginning, ofthe winding, thus producing a slightly greater pressure on the ball after it has been wound to a certain size. Then the ball has reached the desired diameter, I preferably provide means for stopping the winding thereof. This is accomplished by an electrical contact at the point 42, the movable element of which is earned on the pin which forms the fulcrum 33 of the bell-crank levers 32, the other element being fixed to but insulated from the base 3, as indicated. This contact is electrically connected with the operating magnet in the box 13, so that the pawl 12 is released when the contact is made and the parts of the clutch 8 disconnected.

The strand being wound is fed to the winding mechanism by the following means:

The numeral 43 indicates a bobbin or spool on which the elastic thread is carried. Thisis mounted upon a spindle44 which is provided with a tensioning thumb nut 45 which may be adjusted to provide the necessary drag on the spool to give the required tension to the thread being wound. The tension is further controlled and evenly distributed as the thread leaves the spool, by passing over a series of grooved wheels 46 journaled on studs projecting from the vertical support 47. At the top of this support is pivoted a grooved finger 48, through the groove of which the thread passes before being laid upon the ball. The finger 48 is forced upward by the spring 49 carried on its pivot 50. The tension of this spring is suificient to be overcome by the tension of the thread, so that the outer end of the finger is located close to the ball being wound, but should the tension of the thread decrease slightly, the spring will cause the finger to rise and compensate for the decrease in tension. It is obvious that if the thread should break, the finger will immediately snap upward to a more nearly vertical position, under which condition the machine should be immediately stopped. This I accomplish by causing the finger 48 to make an electrical contact to disconnect the parts of the clutch 8.

. Referring to Fig. 2, the numeral 51 indicates a suitable support connected with the upright 47 on which is located an insulated contact terminal 52 adapted to engage a corresponding terminal 53 carried on the inner end of the finger 48. The contact member 52 is electrically connected with the operating magnet in the box 13 (the connections not being shown). It will now be seen that when thecontact finger 48 snaps upward as the thread breaks, contact will be made between the members 52 and 53, throwing out the pawl 12 and disconnecting the parts of the clutch 8, so that the machine will be stopped.

The operation of themachine having been described in connection with the description of the parts, further description of the operation at this point is deemed unnecessary.

The hand lever 54 has a lateral extension 55 forming a bell-crank lever which operates upon the bell-crank levers 32 to raise their intermeshing ends so that the winding heads may be separated manually to insert or remove a ball. a

The gripping rollers and the mechanism for turning the same may be adapted to that type of machine in which the ball holding heads do not rotate, such as in a machine like that shown in patent to J. R. Gammeter, No. 647,256, dated April 10, -1900,'in which the spool or spools rotate around the ball, instead of having the ball rotate on a winding axis relative to a fixed spoolas in the present device. Y

Having thus described this form of my invention, I do not wish to be understood the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1.-A machine for winding a strand about a ball or core by means conjointly imparting a resultant movement to said ball or core about a fixed center to present different parts thereof to the point of winding, comprising means for exerting a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core about a fixed axis, and means for exerting a force adapted to produce a second component movement about an axis oblique to said first axis.

2. A machine for winding a strand about a ball or core by means conjointly imparting a resultant movement to said ball or core about a fixed center to present different parts thereof to the point of winding, comprising means for exerting a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core about an axis perpendicular to the winding plane, and means for exerting a force adapted to produce a second component movement about an axis oblique to said first axis.

3. A machine for winding a strand about a ball or core by means conjointly imparting a resultant movement to said ball or core about a fixed center to present difierent parts thereof to the point of winding, comprising means for exerting a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball in the winding plane, means for exerting a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core about an axis in the winding plane, and means for exert ing a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core about an axis oblique to the winding plane.

4. In a ball winding machine, means for winding a strand about a ball or core, and means for turning the latter successively about three diiferent axes at angles to the winding axis.

5. In a ball winding machine, means for winding a strand about a ball or core, an means for turning the same successively about three different axes, namely, about an axis in the winding plane, and about the axes symmetrically located relative to the first named axis and outside said winding plane.

6. A machine for winding a strand about a ball or core by devices conjointly imparting a result-ant movement to said ball or core about a fixed center to present different parts thereof to the point of winding, oomprlsing rotatable means rotatably engaging the ball 7 or core for exerting a force adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core about a fixed axis, and rotatable means rotatably engaging the ball or core for exerting a force adapted to produce a second component movement about an axis oblique to said first axis.

7. In a ball winding machine, means for moving the ball or core about a fixed axis, means for moving the ball or core about a second axis, means for moving the ball or core about a third axis, and means for moving the ball or core about a fourth axis.

8. In a ball winding machine, rotatable mechanism which by its rotatable engagement with the ball or core imparts thereto rotary motion in different directions, namely, a rotary motion about a longitudinal axis, and intermittent rotary motions about axes at acute angles to said first named axis.

9. In a ball winding machine, mechanism which imparts to a ball or core, motion in four directions, namely, a rotary motion about a longitudinal axis, a rotary motion about an axis in the winding plane, and rotary motions about axes at acute angles to the first named axis.

10. In a ball winding machine, mechanism which imparts to the ball being wound, motion in four directions, namely, a rotary motion about a longitudinal axis, a rotary motion about an axis in the winding plane, and about two axes symmetrically located relative to the last named axis and outside of said winding plane.

11. In a ball winding machine, a rotary winding head adapted to hold the ball being wound and to rotate in the same direction therewith, gripping rollers carried by said winding head arranged in pairs adapted to engage the ball at axial terminals inclined to each other and means for turning said pairs independently of each other.

12. In a ball winding machine, a rotary winding head-adapted to hold and rotate the ball being wound, gripping rollers carried by said winding head, and means for turning said rollers independently of each other, alternately, and also simultaneously.

13. In a ball winding machine, opposed rotary winding heads adapted to hold the ball between them and to rotate in the same direction therewith, gripping rollers carried by said winding heads arranged in pairs, a gripping roller of one head and a gripping roller of the other head being disposed respectively at axial terminals to constitute a pair, the axes of the pairs being inclined at an oblique angle to each other and means for turning the pairs independently of each other.

14. In a ball Winding machine, opposed rotary winding heads adapted to hold the ball between them, gripping rollers carried by said winding heads, and means for turning the rollers on either of the winding heads independently of each other, alternately and also simultaneously.

15. In a ball windin machine, opposed rotary winding heads a apted to hold a ball between them, gripping rollers carried by and diagonally located on said winding heads, means for simultaneously turning said rollers with reference to their axis of rotation, to rotate the ball on an axis oblique to said axis of rotation.

16. In a ball Winding machine, opposed rotary winding heads adapted to hold the ball between them, tapering gripping rollers carried by said winding heads, and means for turning the rollers on either of the winding heads independently of each other, alternately and also simultaneously.

17. A machine for winding a strand about a ball or core by devices conjointly imparting a resultant movement to said ball or core about a fixed center to present different parts thereof to the, point of winding, comprising opposed rotatable ball holding heads adapted to produce a component movement of the ball or core by rotating it in the same direction therewith, and tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads adapted to produce other component movements about axes at oblique angles to the axis of the first movement. 7,

18. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads, and means for turning a plurality of said rollers independently of the others and intermittently to rotate the ball on axes at angles to the winding plane.

19. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads, means for turning said rollers simultaneously to rotate the ball, and means for stopping a plurality of said rollers to cause the ball to turn on axes at angles to the winding axis.

20. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads, means for turning said rollers simultaneously to rotate the ball at an angle to the winding axis, and means for stopping the rotation of pairs of said rollers alternately, to cause the ball to turn on axes at symmetrical angles to the winding plane successively.

21. In a ball winding machine, opposed rotatable ball holding heads for rotating the ball in the same direction therewith, tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads, arranged in pairs, a gripping roller of one head and a gripping roller of the other head being disposed respectively at axial terminals to constitute a pair, the axes of the pairs being inclined at an oblique angle to each other, and means for turning said gripping rollers axially.

22. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holdin heads, gripping rollers carried by said hea s, said rollers having roughened surfaces and plain segments, meansfor turning said rollers to rotate the ball at an angle to the winding axis, and means for stopping a plurality of said rollers independently of the others and with their plain portions in contact with the ball at points adjacent the poles of rotation resulting from the movevment of the others of said rollers.

mutilated gears are fixed, and means for rotating said transverse shafts.

25. In a ball winding machine, opposed longitudinal supports, opposed ball holding heads mounted thereon, shafts arranged axially of said supports and entering said heads, transverse shafts in said heads, means connecting said longitudinal and transverse shafts to rotate the latter, ball gripping rollers on said heads, and means connected with said shafts and the rollers on each head to turn said rollers alternately and intermittently.

26. In a ball Winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, means for rotating the same synchronously, ball gripping rollers carried by said heads, and means for rotating said rollers axially and alternately on the respective heads to turn a ball on axes at acute angles to the axis of said heads.

27. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, means for rotating the same synchronously, tapering gripping rollers carried by said heads, and means for alternately rotating said rollers axially to turn a ball on axes at acute angles to the axis of said heads.

28. In a ballwinding machine, alined longitudinal main shafts, opposed ball winding heads mounted thereon, means for rotating said shafts synchronously, secondary shafts arranged axially of said main shafts, means for rotating said secondary shafts synchronously and difl'erentially with respect to said main shafts, transverse shafts in said heads, means connecting said secondary shafts and said transverse shafts for rotating the latter, ball gripping rollers on said heads, and means connecting said transverse shafts and said rollers on each head to turn the latter alternately and intermittently.

29. In a ball winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, means for rotating thefaces, and means for alternately rotating said rollers axially and alternately on the respective heads to turn a ball on axes at acute angles to the axis of said heads and with the poles of rotation of said ball adjacent said plain surfaces on the stopped rollers.

30. In a ball Winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, means for rotating the same synchronously, tapering ball gripping rollers carried by said heads, and means for rotating said rollers axially" and simultaneously and for stopping a plurality thereof diagonally disposed on the opposite heads, to turn a ball on axes at acute angles to the axis of said heads.

' 31. In a ball Winding machine, opposed ball holding heads, means for rotating the same synchronously, tapering ball ripping rollers carried by said heads, sai rollers having alternate plain and roughened surfaces. and means for rotating said rollers axially and simultaneously and for stopping a plurality thereof diagonally disposed on the opposite heads, to turn the ball on axes at acute angles to the axis of said heads and with the poles of rotation of said ball adjacent said plain surfaces on the stopped rollers.

Signed at New York, New York, this 2nd day of March, 1917.

HENRY Z. COBB. 

